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Coming Home - Part Two

by
Staff Writer
/ Los Angeles Kings

Who says you can’t go home again?

The Kings certainly don’t believe that’s true. In the second part of this three-part series, we take a closer look at three players who proudly wore the Kings crown on their chest during their playing days and now are excelling with second careers as Kings executives/broadcasters/scouts.

Blake first joined the Kings organization when the club selected him with the No. 70 pick in the 1988 NHL Entry Draft. He made his Kings/NHL debut during the 1990-91 NHL regular season.

Blake played 14 seasons with the Kings over two different stints. He served as team captain from 1996-01 and again from 2007-08 (six total seasons). He helped lead the Kings to the Stanley Cup Final in 1993 and won the franchise’s first (and only) Norris Trophy in 1998.

In terms of Kings franchise records among defensemen, Blake ranks first in games played, goals, assists, points, power play goals, game-winning goals and shots. He is a six-time winner of the club’s Outstanding Defenseman Award and on two occasions he was named the team’s MVP.

Hockey Highlights:

Blake played 20 total NHL seasons. In addition to his time with the Kings, he played for San Jose (2008-10) and for Colorado (2001-06), where he won a Stanley Cup. In all, he recorded 777 points (240-537=777) in 1,270 regular season games while in 146 playoff games he had 73 points.

Blake was named an All-Star six different times, including four times with the Kings, and in 1998 he was named to the NHL First All-Star Team and on three different occasions he was named to the NHL Second All-Star Team.

Current role with the Kings:

Blake was hired in July as the club’s new Assistant General Manager. He also oversees the Manchester Monarchs hockey operations department. After retiring as a player he worked in the NHL’s Player Safety department for three seasons.

He will officially be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November in Toronto and he will have his jersey retired by the Kings in January as part of the club’s popular Legends Night Series presented by McDonald’s.

Fox spent his entire 10-year career as a member of the Kings after being selected in the first round (10th overall) of the 1980 NHL Entry Draft. A three time 30-goal scorer, Fox enjoyed his most productive season in 1984-85 when he recorded 83 points (30-53=83).

Fox ranks ninth on the Kings all-time scoring list, ninth in assists and 11th in goals as he compiled 479 points (186-293=479) in 578 games. Over his playing career with the Kings, Fox also holds the distinction of playing the fourth most games -- starting, ending and only with the Kings (Dave Taylor holds the mark followed by Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar).

Off the ice, upon retirement as a player in 1990, Fox became Director of Community Relations for the Kings, a position he held until 1994. During that time, he was responsible for creating the Kings Care Foundation and annual Foundation events such as Tip-A-King, the team’s charity golf tournament and the Kings Youth Hockey Camp.

Hockey Highlights:

Prior to becoming a King, Fox enjoyed a standout junior career with the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). As the club’s captain during the 1979-80 campaign, Fox scored at least one point in every game, including preseason, regular season and the playoffs, and he was a finalist for the Canadian Jr. Player of the Year after earning OHL Most Valuable Player and Leading Scorer awards.

Internationally, Fox represented Canada at the World Junior Championship in Helsinki (1979-80) and he also earned a bronze medal at the World Championship in Moscow in 1986.

Current role with the Kings:

Fox, of course, is in his 25th season as the Kings Television Color Commentator, joining Bob Miller in the booth for club broadcasts on FOX Sports West/Prime Ticket.

In the October 2, 2006, issue of Sports Illustrated, Fox was named the best analyst in hockey. From 1998-2012 Fox was named the best TV color commentator in Southern California by Los Angeles Daily News columnist Tom Hoffarth (the one year he did not win the award was when there was no NHL season).

A wine lover, he has participated as a judge in the Long Beach Grand Cru and the Los Angeles County Fair “Wines of the World,” both international wine-tasting competitions. Fox, along with winemaker Mike Smith, produces single vineyard designate Pinor Noir from California under the brand name “Patiné Cellars.” Patiné is French for “to have skated!”

Join Fox later this month for the Sunset Sip charity event in Long Beach.

Every hockey player dreams of playing for the Stanley Cup and Mike Donnelly had the opportunity to play in the Stanley Cup Final for the Kings in 1993.

In a season in which he played in a career-high 84 regular season games, and notched 29 goals for the second straight season, Donnelly also suited up for 24 postseason contests and accumulated 13 points.

Overall Donnelly, a left-winger, played in 307 games with the Kings and had 170 points -- including 87 goals – and 144 penalty minutes. He started last season ranked No. 41 on the Kings all-time scoring list.

Hockey Highlights:

Before making it to the NHL, Donnelly enjoyed a standout four-year career at Michigan State University. The native of Livonia, Michigan, still in fact makes his home in his hometown.

Donnelly played through the 1997-98 season before hanging up his skates. In the NHL he played in more than 500 total games for the Kings, Rangers, Sabres, Stars and Islanders and recorded 114 goals in the regular season.

Donnelly also played professionally overseas and he made several stops in the IHL and the AHL.

Current role with the Kings:

Donnelly now splits his time between the club’s Scouting (focusing on the college game) and Player Development staffs.

KINGS ALUMNI:

A special charity LA Kings Alumni Game presented by Toyota will see former Kings favorites versus a special Russian All-Star team at the Toyota Sports Center following Hockey Fest on Sunday, September 14. The game is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m.